A stolen wood-carving was recovered within hours of its theft, with help from eyewitnesses and five nearby King County Sheriff’s deputies.

The carving, an eagle statue standing more than three feet tall, was taken from the Snoqualmie River RV Park and Campground.

The carving was stolen in Fall City around 8 a.m. Wednesday, May 28, according to one of the responding deputies. Witnesses called 911 at that time, reporting that they saw two men take the statue, put it in their vehicle and drive off with it. They described the vehicle, a dark blue van with Nevada plates, but couldn’t give detailed descriptions of the men.

A deputy driving through Snoqualmie met a van matching the description and reported that to dispatch. He then turned around and searched for the vehicle, locating it in the 8200 block of Railroad Avenue. Deputies also responded from the unincorporated areas of Carnation, Fall City and two from North Bend.

Officers located the statue and detained the two men, both Snoqualmie residents in their 40s, while the campground owner came to Snoqualmie to retrieve the statue. She declined to comment on the incident.

Several bystanders watched the police activity and were disappointed to learn that it was related to a theft.

“It’s sad,” said Iulian Rom, “this is such a beautiful place… why do people have to steal?”

This carved eagle statue, snatched from a local campground, was recovered by King County Sheriff’s Deputies from the van in the background.